Amnesty International highlights difficulty of documenting war crimes in Gaza
Amnesty International stated regarding the total blackout of landline, mobile, and internet communication services in Gaza due to Israeli attacks: "This means it is becoming even harder for us to access critical information, evidence of human rights violations and war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza, and to hear directly from those who are directly exposed to these violations."
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The UK-based organization Amnesty International announced that it had lost contact with its staff in the region following the Israeli military's announcement that it was increasing its airstrikes on Gaza and would expand its ground operations.
In the statement, which expressed that civilians in Gaza are at unprecedented risk, it was noted that the communication blackout comes at a time when civilian infrastructure and homes are being hit in the region, which Israel has kept under blockade for 16 years and has tightened since October 9.
''CALL FOR CEASEFIRE REITERATED''
Pointing out that the humanitarian crisis already occurring in the region has deepened with the latest developments, the statement said: "We reiterate our call to all parties for an immediate ceasefire in Israel and the occupied Gaza Strip to prevent further civilian loss of life and to ensure the entry of vital humanitarian aid into Gaza, which is experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe."
Erika Guevara-Rosas, the organization's Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, whose assessments were included in the statement, said that Gazans were left completely in the dark with the cutting of internet and communication connections.
''INFRASTRUCTURE MUST BE REPAIRED''
Calling on Israel to end the attacks, Guevara-Rosas stated: "I call on Israel to urgently end its indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks that have caused the deaths of many civilians, including more than 3,000 children. In an environment where airstrikes continue and ground operations are set to expand, internet and telecommunications infrastructure must be urgently repaired to ensure rescue efforts can take place."
Drawing attention to the fact that the organization has also lost contact with its staff in Gaza, Guevara-Rosas assessed: "For human rights organizations, documenting the rights violations taking place has become even more difficult due to intensifying Israeli attacks and communication restrictions."
Regarding the communication blackout, Guevara-Rosas shared the view: "This means it is becoming even harder for us to access critical information, evidence of human rights violations and war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza, and to hear directly from those who are directly exposed to these violations."
LATEST SITUATION IN GAZA
Due to Israel's intense attacks on the blockaded Gaza Strip, landline, mobile, and internet communication services in the region have been completely cut off.
The Israeli military announced that it is increasing its airstrikes and will expand its ground operations.
Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in Gaza where thousands of wounded and civilians are located, was also targeted by the Israeli military.
LATEST SITUATION IN ISRAEL'S ATTACKS ON GAZA
The armed wing of Hamas, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, launched a comprehensive attack on Israel on the morning of October 7, dubbed "Al-Aqsa Flood."
The Israeli military also began attacking the Gaza Strip with dozens of warplanes.
It was reported that 1,400 Israelis, 310 of whom were soldiers, were killed and 5,132 Israelis were injured in the attacks from Gaza.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the number of those killed in Israel's attacks on Gaza has risen to 7,326, including 3,038 children, 1,726 women, and 414 elderly people, and that 18,967 people have been injured.
It was stated that 110 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,900 people have been injured in attacks by Israeli forces and Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank.
In the conflict zones, 25 journalists have lost their lives, mostly in Israeli bombardment.
In the clashes between the Israeli military and Hezbollah on the Israel-Lebanon border since October 8, 46 Hezbollah members, 6 members of the Islamic Jihad Movement, 3 from Hamas, and 2 members of the Hezbollah-backed Sunni Resistance Brigade were killed, as well as 4 civilians, one of whom was a journalist.
In attacks carried out from the Lebanese side, 3 Israeli soldiers and one Israeli civilian lost their lives.